Formal Obligation with "Dienen te"
To express a strict rule, duty, or formal obligation, Dutch uses the verb dienen followed by te and an infinitive. While moeten (must / to have to) is common in everyday speech, dienen te is highly formal. You will primarily see it in written regulations, official correspondence, and legal settings.
To form this structure, conjugate dienen for the subject, and place te plus the infinitive verb at the end of the clause.
| The suspect is obliged to appear before the court tomorrow. | De verdachte dient morgen voor de rechtbank te verschijnen. |
| The visitor is obliged to remain silent in the court. | De bezoeker dient in de rechtbank te zwijgen. |
Legal Proceedings and Terminology
Because of its formal tone, dienen te frequently appears alongside legal vocabulary.
| You are obliged to respect the statutory rules. | U dient de wettelijke regels te respecteren. |
| Since the evidence is missing, the jury is obliged to declare him innocent. | Aangezien het bewijs ontbreekt, dient de jury hem onschuldig te verklaren. |
When discussing courtroom events, you will also encounter specific nouns like het vonnis (the verdict) and het verhoor (the interrogation).
| The verdict was confirmed by the court yesterday. | Het vonnis is gisteren door de rechtbank bevestigd. |
| During the interrogation, the suspect was very nervous. | Tijdens het verhoor was de verdachte erg zenuwachtig. |
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